Benetti ÂS, Surjus LTLS, Schneider DR. Understandings of the crisis at the alcohol and drug clinic in the voice of the users. Interface (Botucatu). 2025; 29: e240498. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1590/interface.240498
Abstract
This article investigates the experience of the crisis in the alcohol and other drug clinic, with the aim of understanding how users of a Psychosocial Care Center (CAPS) characterize it. It considers social determinatios that aggravate alcohol and drug use and discuss the effects of the requirement of abstinence. Using Critical Hermeneutic and Narrative Methodology, results show that crisis is magnified by psychosocial intersections of racism, lack of basic rights, and violence, exacerbated by prohibitionism. Care practices that integrate individual and social dimensions are emphasized, promoting better living conditions and exposing the limits of prohibitionist models. Reducing drug users to sick people and outcasts reflects a limited understanding of the crisis, disregarding social determinants and reducing opportunities for those who potentially survive. Therefore, we understand the crisis as a psychosocial experience that requires welcoming and the legitimization of subjectivities, seeking ways to strengthen other connections with living.
Keywords
Harm reduction; Mental health; Drug users; Crisis
Access in: https://doi.org/10.1590/interface.240498
